06/02/2026
This is the same paddock management we do here at Peaceful Meadows and after 10 years we know it works. Our worm burden is less and horses here are only wormed at most twice a year.
https://www.facebook.com/share/17mwN8dBri/?mibextid=wwXIfr
๐ช๐ต๐ ๐บ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ ๐น๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ ๐น๐ถ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐๐บ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ (๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐โ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ)
Most parasite programs focus on reducing the current worm or bot burden.
Mine focuses on breaking the future lifecycle.
Thatโs a very different goal.
Right now, our horses are in very bare, dry paddocks with visible manure. To an outside observer, that can look like poor management.
๐๐ฏ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ช๐ต๐บ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ช๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ข๐ด๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ข๐ณ๐ข๐ด๐ช๐ต๐ฆ๐ด ๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ถ๐จ๐จ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ด๐ต.
Worms and bot larvae thrive in:
moisture
grass cover
warmth + shade
They need those conditions to survive, migrate, and be re-ingested.
In hot, dry, bare paddocks:
larvae dry out and die
thereโs no grass for them to climb
UV kills many organisms
manure literally bakes in the sun
This is where parasite pressure drops.
So instead of chasing todayโs numbers, Iโm deliberately creating conditions that interrupt the lifecycle.
The result:
extremely low FECs
less drenching
lower risk of resistance to anthelmintics
healthier long-term pasture biology
Yes - visually, itโs not pretty.
๐๐ถ๐ต ๐ฃ๐ช๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฐ๐จ๐ช๐ค๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ, ๐ช๐ตโ๐ด ๐ฆ๐ง๐ง๐ฆ๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ท๐ฆ.
My horses also have access to other paddocks with longer grass and rotate daily, so theyโre not living permanently on bare ground. Summer is about parasite suppression. Spring is about recovery.
In spring, we harrow:
manure is soft enough to break down
nutrients are redistributed
grass seed from our home-grown hay goes back into the soil
microbes, UV, and moisture finish the job
We also:
rotate cattle through paddocks
rely on dung beetles (which many drenches unfortunately kill)
recycle nutrients rather than concentrating manure into piles
grow our own hay, so w**d pressure stays low
All of this works together as one system.
๐ฆ๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ถ๐น๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฒ๐๐ปโ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ - unless itโs properly hot-composted, ๐ฑ๐ช๐ญ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ข๐ค๐ต๐ถ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฆ๐ค๐ต ๐ญ๐ข๐ณ๐ท๐ข๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐บ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ช๐ด๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฆ. Thatโs why I donโt do it.
Instead of concentrating parasites, I disperse and expose them.
Instead of treating symptoms, I target lifecycle.
This approach only works because we have large acreage and low stocking density. It wouldnโt suit small blocks or shared paddocks - and thatโs the point.
Different properties need different systems.
Everyone is trying to achieve the same thing:
healthy horses, manageable parasites, usable pasture.
We just get there in different ways.
And I love this reminder from Maya Angelou: "Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better"
What matters isnโt how it looks - itโs whether it works.
